The Emperor Far Away

Engaging … Narrated by this curious Englishman and peopled by a cast of natives, settlers, tourists, and ex-pats, this absorbing book is a tantalizing introduction to China’s diversity and the ethnic and political dynamics at the extremes of its empire … Should interest travel junkies and students of ethnography and geopolitics * Publishers Weekly *
A swift-moving, colorful account of the bewildering array of fiercely independent ethnic groups within an uneasy Chinese “home” * Kirkus *
A witty and endearing travelogue, and one which presents a view of the country which may surprise even seasoned China watchers … An excellent exposition on how China’s hard-line stance on the immovability of its borders is affecting the lives of millions living on the fringes of both a country and a society * South China Morning Post *
Honest and nostalgic, David Eimer’s book is as much about his experience of modern-day China as the problem of Han totalitarianism * Shortlist *
The best of a number of recent synoptic books about the country … Eimer deftly mixes journalistic analysis with personal experiences. These include some salty tales, as the frontier towns he visits are lively places * Conde Nast Traveller *
Eimer explores the little-visited outer reaches of a nation that’s more empire than country to meet the people chafing under the CCP’s diktats as the state shifts into superpower gear * Wanderlust *
Bookshelves are now groaning under the weight of China travelogues, but Eimer has forged genuinely new ground as he recounts his travels to China’s furthest corners … A fascinating picture of a part of the country rarely examined in the many books on China’s go-go economy and fast-changing society **** * Daily Telegraph *
An engaging journal of his travels through some of these liminal lands … Lovely writing * Ben Chu, Independent *
Eimer has colourful material … A well-written adventure in far-flung places that the world needs to know more about if it is to understand China * The Times *
Eimer is especially adept at ferreting out obscure historical facts … Part travelogue with vivid descriptions of landscapes and people * Scotsman *
A fine piece of reportage, which goes a long way to explaining why the Han are seen so often as the representatives of a colonial power, and why separatists, rather than pro-democracy campaigners, are now the greatest concern in Beijing * Daily Telegraph *
Eimer ... has forged genuinely new ground * Daily Telegraph *